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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Review: The Hollows by Jessica Verday

The Hollows by Jessica Verday
Review by Jax

Book Blurb:

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

My review: From the blurb, I expected a ghost filled story. And it was, I suppose, though you don’t get confirmation of that until the last 50 pages. As a paranormal story, I felt let down a little. However, this is only the first book of three, the opening act, if you will.

There are many questions left unanswered. Her late friend’s secret diary detailed a secret boyfriend never named, never discovered. Was he a contributing factor to Kristen’s accident? What was the deal with Ben? What was his connection to Kristen, and what were his intentions toward her, and then Abbey? How does any of this tie in with Caspian? Here’s the thing, a lot of those questions are the kind that would be left unanswered in real life. Not knowing the answers is frustrating and disturbing. However, as much as I like my paranormal tales to be believable on some level, this was hard to take. Even finding out that there are two more books, and that the next one is already out didn’t take the edge off that feeling that something was left out.

As a story of coping with death, grief and loss, I enjoyed The Hollows. Abbey distress and disconnect from the world around her following the death of her friend were believable. Her reaction to the direction her life had taken was very understandable. I did enjoy the premise and promise this tale shows. I am curious to find the answers to all those questions.

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